The Portland daily press., 1887-07-14
Bearing Of The Fight on The Future Of
the Portland & Ogdensburg.
Interesting Theories Of Participants in
the Contest.
Is the Canadian Pacific Secretly a
Party to Its
Especial to the PREss.l

fight now going on before the New Hamp-
shire Legislature is the greatest ever waged
in this State; and probably greater than any
that has ever taken place before the Legisla-
ture of any New England State. For three
weeks the hearings have been dragging on.
The most prominent men in the State have
rallied here; Congressman Gallinger leads
the Concord fight; James r. Sanborn man
ages for the Boston & Maine. Three great
and wealthy corporations are involved in the
struggle that can probably end only in ex-
tinction on the one side or calamitous rebuff
on the other. There are those here, too,
men well informed in railway matters, who
affirm the belief that a fourth corporation,
greater and more powerful than all the
others would be combined, is secretly lend
ing its great influence. They say that the
Canadian Pacific, the road that is bound by
honor to seek its seaports on the coast of the
Maritime Provinces, is now or is to be in future
on very close and intimate terms with the
great Boston q Maine and Boston & Lowell
combination that Is here fighting the Con-
cord railroad. That the agents Of the Bos-
ton & Maine and Boston & Lowell deny any
pre- sent understanding with the Canadian
Pacific does not make the study of the pos
sibilities and probabilities of a future under
standing any the less interesting. The in
terests involved in the present fight are not
single railroads, but great systems; the re-
suit, whichever way it is, will make most
important changes in the railroad map Of
Northern New England, changes that must
vitally affect the business interests Of the
people of New Hampshire, changes that will
for years be felt on the current of through
traffic which seeks the seaboard from the
West, and changes which are therefore Of
the greatest interest to the city Of Portland,
which hopes to participate in the profits of
that through traffic, both directly and
through its ownership in the Portland &
Ogdensburg railway.
Though the fight here at Concord is very
complicated one, the accompanying map,
with brief survey Of the events which have
led up to the fight, will make plain the issues
involved and the great interest which Port
land has in the result.
The history of railway consolidation in
New Hampshire dates from 1885, when the
so called Colby bill was passed for the pur-
pose of enabling the Concord, Northern,
and Boston, Concord & Montreal railroads
to unite in great New Hampshire corpora
tion, and also to allow the Boston & Maine
to lease the Eastern. As is well known in
Maine and everywhere else, the Boston &
Maine leased the Eastern and now operates
it. But for some reason the distinctiyely
New Hampshire roads did not consolidate.
The Concord road remained by itself. SO
did the Northern, and the Boston, Concord
q Montreal, for little time; but only for
little time. The Boston & Lowell rail-
road. a Massachusetts corporation, stepped
in, and by virtue Of the general privileges
conferred by the Colby bill in the matter of
leases of New Hampshire railroads, leased
both the Northern railroad and the Boston,
Concord and Montreal. By taking leases,
also, of the st. Johnsbury and Lake Cham
plain and the Passumpsic railways, the Bos-
ton IL Lowell became an extensive system
reaching from Boston ito Lake Champlain,
with the exception of the short line of the
Concord road from Nashua to Concord. But
all did not go well with the Boston & Lowell
plans A stakeholder Of the Northern rail-
road, named Dow, objected to the lease on
the ground that he had never consented to
the lease and some of his rights in the prop
erty were jeopardized The case was tried In
the Supreme Court of New Hampshire, and
the court sustained Dow's position, annulled
the lease as against the rights of dissenting
stockholders, and ordered the road back into
the hands of its stockholders. SO here was
the Northern railroad Topped from the Bos-
ton and Lowell system. Next come board
of directors of the Boston, Concord and Mon
treal and raise the point that the lease of
their road to the Boston and Lowell is in
valid on the same grounds that Dow took.
But the Boston and Lowell, knowing well
what the Supreme Court Of New Hampshire
will do, takes advantage of the fact that it is
a corporation in another state, and has the
suit transferred to the United States courts
where it must wait years for decision.
Then comes another great move, the intima-
tions of which the PRESS first gave the pub
lie last winter; the Boston & Lowell leas-
ed itself to the Boston & Maine. The Bos.
ton & Maine became one great corporation,
the enormous extent of which is indicated
on the map. The heavy lines represent the
system which the Boston & Maine became
on the lease Of the Boston q Lowell. There
is road from Nashua to Keene via Green
field, which also belongs to the system, al
though not indicated by heavy line. The
Boston Il Maine also controls the Central
Massachusetts road from Boston to North
ampton, on the Connecticut river This
road is not shown on the map. The
Northern railroad is represented by light
1f,.A e
Hampshire has ordered the Boston & Low
ell to give it up; it is claimed by the Concord
people, however, that the Boston & Lowell,
(which is now the Boston d Maine Of course,)
has as yet not done so in good faith. But
there are other parts of the system that
are as shaky as was the Northern. The road
from Manchester to Lawrence is held by
lease no more valid than was the Northern
lease. The Boston, Concord & Montreal is
in the same situation. But there is still an
other doubt about the Boston, Concord &
Montreal. The conditions Of its lease to the
Boston & Lowell are such that the lease be-
comes, 1t is claimed, invalid the moment the
Boston & Lowell leases itself to the Boston
& Maine.
So it is evident that the great combination
which the Boston & Maine has been getting
together is not strongly cemented. Through
the action Of courts and the operation of
awkward conditions, it is in danger of disin-
tegration. So the Boston & Maine comes to
the New Hampshire Legislature to get its
titles to its acquisitions confirmed. 1t is at
the same time, undoubtedly endeavoring to
get itself so strengthened that it may make
sure of further acquisitions. 1t hopes to do
this by the Hazen bill.
The principal provisions Of the Hazen bill
are drawn to encompass the objects which it